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Illinois Reads!

Just received the following note at HQ:

Congratulations! Under the auspices of the Illinois Reading Council, a brand new literacy program, ILLINOIS READS , a yearly state-wide project to promote reading for all Illinois citizens, will be instituted next year, and your book "Smart-Aleck's Guide to American History", has been chosen as one of the books for the inaugural program. The thirty-six titles chosen, from birth to adult, will be introduced into classrooms, public health facilities, public and school libraries, and bookstores. The website, www.illinoisreads.org, will allow adults and students (above age 13) to post book reviews, book trailers, art work, and discussions about the books. We hope we can link to your website, as well as offering additional activities to accompany your book.

The program will be formally launched on March 13, 2013 at the Illinois Reading Conference in Springfield, Illinois.

We here at the Smart Aleck Staff are thrilled! Thanks for all the support we've had in recent years - and keep watching for our new Hamlet guide soon!

What else should we do? We've had to put guides on the backburner lately, since the boss has been so busy with Chicago history books - this fall alone he's under contract for one about the mobsters, one about general Chicago history, one about the silent film business here, and one about Chicago ghosts. Maybe a Smart Aleck's Guide to Al Capone? A Smart Aleck's Guide to Ghost Stories?

Smart Aleck's Guides

Our First Book: The Smart Aleck's Guide to American History (Random House 09)

Recommended to students by history teachers throughout the country!
"Speeding along on humor, Daily Show-style,…the irreverent, often laugh-out-loud approach should win over reluctant readers." - Publisher's Weekly

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Staff Blogs

Here are some blogs run by the staff:
Playground Jungle - charting the "folk process" in naughty playground rhymes. The folk process is how an ancient ballad about making a violin out of a corpse evolves into a chant about pooping your overalls.